Sunday, November 30, 2008

The Immovable Object vs. The Unstoppable Force

I just hope we get as good of a game as the resume's of the two schools entering it.

It's ALABAMA...

"When they get a hold of you, there's no letting go. They've been tied or led in just under 756 of the last 780 minutes, and they've scored first in 12 of their last 13 games dating back to the end of last season."

... versus FLORIDA

"The No. 4 Gators walloped rival Florida State 45-15 at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, marking the seventh consecutive game in which they scored 40 points or more.

In fact, since losing to Ole Miss 31-30 in The Swamp on Sept. 27, the Gators have outscored their eight opponents 414-97, and won each game by at least four touchdowns."

Not long after Alabama had put the finishing touches on a 36-0 battering of Auburn on Saturday night, somebody asked Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson about being the nation's No. 1 team and still being an underdog this coming Saturday in the SEC Championship Game.

Not that the Vegas line had come out by that time, but it's the assumption college football has made for the last several weeks.

Florida is the team to beat.

"It doesn't matter to us," Wilson said, his smile widening. "It's about the guys in the locker room. It's about our attitude. Underdog or favored, it's not going to affect the outcome of the game at all. The whole season, people have not expected us to do the things that we've done.

"We'll just keep taking it that way, and we've seemed to handle it pretty well."

Nobody on Alabama's team was coming right out and saying it, but you could tell they're reveling in the whole notion that Florida is a cut above.

Now that everyone is looking forward, the next big issue for the Gators is whether Harvin will play against Alabama. The fleet wide receiver got sandwiched by linebacker Nigel Bradham and corner Korey Mangum late in the second quarter. He stayed on all fours, stopping only to grab his right ankle. Meyer described it as a sprain and said he would wait to see what the doctors say Sunday. Harvin left the locker room on crutches with his ankle in a boot.

Meyer has never coached against Alabama coach Nick Saban. Asked where their paths have crossed, Meyer said they haven't, beyond the SEC head coaches meetings. Meyer said they have been cordial toward one another.

"When you look at Alabama, the sum is greater than the parts," CBS' Gary Danielson said during Saturday's broadcast. "When you look at Florida ... the spread [offense] highlights the parts that beat you."

It's not the smoothest analogy I've ever heard, but it's pretty accurate. It may well be that the Gators' multitude of weapons is too much for even as stout a defense as Alabama's -- but I wouldn't bet my house on it. The Tide's formula is one that's stood the test of time since well before the spread offense ever entered the sport's lexicon.

"It's going to be a good game," said Terrence Cody, the Tide's 365-pound nose guard. "We're both very good teams. Florida is flashier and all that stuff. But we're hard-nosed and we'll go out there and give them everything we've got."

1 comment:

I'm not usually a sports person, but I'm actually looking forward to this game. Of course, I'll be rooting for UF, but I'll probably watch it with some of my AL buddies. Ought to make for an interesting day.